Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Dear Family,
This week we had two baptisms, it was Rubi and Shala. I can already tell they are going to be my friends throughout my life. This is the first time I had to baptize two times because her hair came up out of the water, haha. Beautiful times really! I love this life!
I am not all the way better but I am feeling better each day. I talked with a doctor last night and he gave me some pills so it’s all good, I’ll live.
I would appreciate it if you could send that stuff. Also, I am still working on the package to send you guys. It will be in the mail in the next week or two. Also my camera is dead so I have no choice but to buy a new one so I hope that you will make sure I have money in my account, thanks.
No real good stories this week. Just that all is good and I miss you all so much.
I will talk to you next week.
Love
Elder Johnston

March 21, 2011

Dear Family,

Well, this week I was really sick for the first time and that’s all I will say about that, I was so so so sick haha. But now I am fine. My comp is great and fits in perfect with our family. He is a big goof ball who would be really good friends with our family. He is like Ricky Hacking funny, haha!!!
The camera I want is like $300 so I don’t know if you want to buy me a Christmas present or what haha.
I saw BYU play a little. The family who lives downstairs has a tv and the bball is always on so I have some basketball time when I am talking to them. It’s nice because they are less active so I can have a lesson and see the bball at the same time haha. Just kidding. I just saw Jimmer hit a three and I was like… oh that’s him.
I taught a sweet lesson by the spirit this week. This girl called for an emergency lesson because she was going to get baptized but wanted to know why all this stuff in her past was so hard to get over. She shared a really sad life story with us. My compo started consoling her and something told me to pull out the Book of Mormon. When I reached in my bag I felt the bible but instead I pulled out the Book of Mormon. I looked and I couldn’t find anything that I felt was right to share so I put it away. Then the second time I felt it again… so I pulled out the Bible. The first thing I turned to was a scripture that talks about a story of a lady in her same situation. I explained the scripture to her and told her to read it. The scripture said, idk in English but something like…you will come to know the truth, and the truth shall set you free…When she read this she started to cry. I explained that she can have a new life without the pains from the past. She has a baptismal date set for this Saturday.
Also, did any of the Cooper boys serve here in Mexico? Because this guy told me I look like an Elder Cooper that was here a long, long time ago…just wondering.
I got your package mom thanks a ton!! I’ll try the potatoes but I actually have so much food here I can’t handle any more. I could use the cookies again and the cool aid is great!!!! Thanks for everything I really enjoy the American things haha!!! I llloooved the inspirational things you sent me. The quotes from the prophets like the one that has been in my room forever!!!!! Thanks I love them!!!
Today we went to the beach to play and it was such a nice day!! I was building this sand castle though and I reached my hand back and I got stung by a jelly fish!!!!! It wasn’t that bad and I’m already better but it kind of hurt. It’s such a great adventure I am on, mom, I love you so much and take care.
Love forever you son,
Elder Johnston

Ps) tell Pete and Rachel that I received their letters and I am going to write them back within this next month.

Dear Mom,
I heard about the tsunami! I can’t believe that is so crazy! You know that we just had an earthquake here last week haha pretty crazy I know!!!
My main meals are chicken, rice, beans, fruit and pork, and no we don’t have siestas.. We work alllll day!!!!
My new companion is great. Elder Elray is from Arizona and I think we will get along just fine. He is way funny like a Ricky Hacking!!! He makes me laugh all the time!
This week we had stake conference in Spanish. It was crazy because we had a live, real time satellite broadcast with Prophet Monson!!! It was really good but I wish I could have heard it in English. It was really cool though and I still understood it all. It just had a different feeling in Spanish. We have 14 wards in our stake so we had stake conference in the convention center which is basically like the general conference center. It was really, really cool!!!!!
This week’s story: We had a lesson in the church on Thursday with one investigator. We were the only ones in the church and had left the gate open. We started the lesson and as we were talking I saw a kid peek his head in. I walked over and talked to him since I was in charge of the building. He asked if he and his football team could play soccer in the church…. I thought about it and I said, “well, if we can talk to you and your friends first before you play then I will let you.” So he went over and talked with his team and they all said yes, so I took all of them in the chapel. When my comp saw 11 more investigators he had never seen before he about freaked out I think haha. We got out a bunch of chairs and sat in the sacrament room for the lesson. We started the lesson teaching these 12 new investigators we had. It was really different but I was really teaching with the authority of God it seemed. It was really powerful for those who listened. We gave the first lesson and at the end I handed out a blue card to all of them. We use the cards to write down the directions to the investigators houses. I gave all of them one. We were sitting in a circle and I walked over and grabbed a small table and put it in the middle for everyone to use. I told them before we end with a prayer here is a pen and I put my pen on the table. I told them if they wanted to know how they can return to live with God one day and receive their salvation they would fill out the card they had in their hand.
Then we closed with a prayer.
The truth is that I was not expecting anyone to leave an address but one by one as they got up to leave 5 or 6 of them actually filled out their card. I don’t know what the point of this lesson was but God works in mysterious ways. I know that he was talking through me and that those kids needed to hear those words. It was a great experience for me. None of the kids live in our area but we passed the references on.
It has been a really good week and I am glad to have my new companion. I am happy to have a little change.
I love you mom and take care. We are working our tails off and good job with the exercise!!! Keep it up!!

Well, all is good here. I wrote some letters to you, Cody and some friends that you can send or mail out. They are in a package that I am waiting to send until I have more stuff to send. It’s a lot of money for a poor missionary to send letters and packages haha…. Good thing I am a good saverJ hah
Well, I am not going to be a trainer this transfer. The Lord has something he wants me to learn before I take on that responsibility. I am receiving an Elder Elray. He is a gringo and I am not sure how it will be with an English companion but I think it will turn out good. I pick him up tomorrow at the bus station. He has been out for about a year. I wrote more on dads email.
Well, not much to report this week. Because my companion knew he was leaving we went around and said goodbye to all of his friends before he left. It has been slow and not much to tell this week.
Elder Smith told me that he received dad’s letter and gave me a big hug haha! It was funny. Also, we had another baptism this week.
I am thinking about starting a school of English or classes like two times a week. I think I would get a lot of investigators through this. It’s just an idea for now and we will see how it goes.
I received your package with the memory card and the Liahonas. Thanks a ton!!!!!
Well, I love you tons. I am so proud you are working so hard and that you are so determined. Keep up the good work. I’ll talk to you next week. Tell Pete to write me.

Well, I am learning to cook some food. I never get to practice but that is ok. I already have some stuff that I want you all to try. Thanks for sending me the recipes but the truth is, mom, I probably won’t get a chance to use them because I never have any spare time to cook or the money haha.
The family I am living with wants you to send the some seeds. Any and every kind of seed. Flowers -vegetables - fruits everything.
That is amazing that dad is writing a lot, he is going to be rich someday! I have been writing a few poems myself!
So there is this plant here I thought I would tell you about. It is called dormilona…means like a sleepy flower. It is like the flowers in the movie Avatar that when you touch them they disappear and shrink real fast. Crazy!!!!!

We had an earthquake here and I felt it. It was pretty strong I thought but nothing happened here. It was in the morning so I freaked out that there was an earthquake!!!

President told me he is praying a lot for the familia, and he promises my family blessings. He is pretty powerful.

Well, I am going to keep this pretty short this week. I don’t have a lot of free time but I am starting to write everyone letters this week so I can send them this next week. Changes are this next Saturday so we will see what we find out. Pray Always

I hope that you liked the stories I sent last week. I was typing my fingernails off en serio! I don’t have much to say this week. I had a baptism of the woman I told dad about. I gave a talk and baptized her as well.
Also I am teaching the gringos who I spoke English with and the lesson was really, really hard. I think I found the only English Book of Mormon in Mexico for them, don’t ask me how!! They have a really hard southern accent! It reminds me of Jason and his mom. It’s funny, they have a little kid that reminds me of Jason as well!!
Today we had an activity out of the zone. We played American football…still got it by the way!! haha I have been playing a little piano too.
Today I got a little sunburned and I also, cut my own hair.
Well next week I will have more stories to tell. I want to give everyone a story so that you will read them at family home evening. That way I know that you are doing it.
About your calling mom, one thing I have learned is the power of the atonement is real. It works miracles all around us and we can’t truly comprehend how it works and how much we benefit from it. How do you think those prophets like Gordon B. Hinkley travel the world for all those years? They can do it, just like you can do it…but there are stages. D.C. 4 “Serve the Lord with all your heart, might , mind and strength“… when you truly do this is when the Lord helps us through the power of the atoning sacrifice of our Lord and Savior. He didn’t just suffer for our sins. Like I said we can’t comprehend the blessings we receive through this events in the world. It is only when we actually do these things, when we serve him with everything we have… that is when we can go more. That is when we receive the blessings.
If I can you can handle it mom. Just put your trust in the Lord and do what he asks of you; nothing less nothing more. Just work as hard as you can to complete what he asks. I know you can handle it and I know you will enjoy it at the same time. Just like everything else, just like every other calling you have received.
I love you tons and I can’t wait to talk to you again.
Love you forever and ever
Love your Son
Elder Johnston

Ps. Also, in my next package I could use the iron that Loni gave me, my shoe shine kit, and Jesus the Christ in English. Muchas Gracias

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Mom I would love to be your Valentine!! I have sent stories to everyone this week so I hope that you can all read them together at family home evening!
Thanks for the package and thank Rachel for the letter and also, thank the Fallon Wards, Brother Barton, Bishop Johnson, Dad and Aaron for the cards. Thanks a ton!!
Also, could you send me the date of everyone’s birthday. I would very much appreciate it.
I haven’t sent anything home yet but I plan to soon.
So, anyway, I had my interview with my mission president this week. We talked a for while about a lot of different stuff. Actually Elder Marin and I picked him up from another church and took him to ours for the interview. So we are special!
In the interview he said that I really need to work hard in the language this week because the next transfer I will be staying here… but…Elder Marin will be going to Villahermosa and …
I may be training a new elder!!!
Okay! I was way pumped and I’m ready! I can’t wait to train someone! I feel so ready. The only problem I have with the language is the grammar, I can communicate fine it just isn’t correct. Oh, it’s hard but I am so ready. I feel like I already have a year under my belt or something! hahaha It’s way good. First transfer of my companion and I could be training someone!!! How sweet if that, huh!!!!
So Mom here is a story for you. You can read it out loud for family home evening.
(1) One day Elder Marin and I we walking in Esperanza which is a really poor place. When it rains just a little all the houses flood. They are dirt streets, always muddy and almost never dry. Rats, like really, really big rats are in the houses and streets. It is just really poor all around.
So we are walking and we pass this lady with these grocery bags. She is carrying a ton. We walk a block and see a kid about 5 or 6 years old standing on the curb with a ton more groceries with no one around him…. It was weird and the lady was walking toward him.
We walked on and contacted a person up ahead. During this contact I noticed that the lady was the mother of the kid and was carrying half of the bags a block and returning for the kid and the other bags over and over and over. I recognized the name of the store on the bags and realized that it was about a mile away.
After the contact I ran over and asked if she could use some help…she looked at me funny and said sure… We grabbed all the bags and carried them to her house about a mile away. I could tell that her arms were being rubbed raw by the bags and she wanted to cry. She was very thankful.
At her house we told her that we were missionaries, she said I know, I am a Jehovah Witness….
We invited her to listen to how we can better our lives through Christ and she accepted, she was happy about it actually.
It just goes to show that every heart can change we just need to keep our eyes open for the opportunity to help someone even if it is something so small, you never know when it can change someone’s life.
She accepted a baptismal date and it is crazy because she lives with two other Jehovah Witnesses who are anti-Mormon, but she wanted to hear what we have to say.
Always remember what Christ would do for his children in the darkness!

(Dad)
Really Tyler!!!!ha ha Tell him he is doing to die!! You need to be a real stud to handle Mexico!! Tell him that he will not see a hot shower for 2 years, but it’s the most amazing experience of your life!!!
Well, dad I love you tons and here is your story for the week to share at family home evening.
(2) We have been teaching this lady for about 3 weeks now and she hasn’t excepted a baptismal date yet. We had been praying for her a ton and working really hard with her. Her name is Maria Baragon. She is “good people” and a real good person.
The other day we were planning and we decided to plan for her specifically. In a part for our lesson I wrote down the words… I promise if you go to church with this question about the church in your head you will receive an answer to your prayers.
So we go and teach the lesson. The time before we had set a goal for her baptism with her, which was the 19th of February. She wasn’t real sure about it but agreed.
We walk in and the first thing she says is that she is not real sure about this date and needs more time. We started teaching and explaining why she was still trying to get out of baptism and then I felt the spirit. I told her your story and how you waited 25 years to be baptized and how that 25 years was wasted and might as well had been trash. I told her you regretted it and it wasn’t until after you were baptized that you realized it. I told her all your story and she listened very carefully. The spirit was stronger and stronger. My companion shared a scripture about this and then I shared our promise for her. Which was the answer she received in church.
She said ok I have a question for you. Do you tell the Bishop or people in church about my problems and needs because every week I go to church they teach to me and my problems seem to get better. Long story short we said no that this is an answer from God.
Then her husband walked in and first thing she said is, “I am going to be baptized on the 19th!!!
It was amazing and come to find out she has had the missionaries over for ten years learning. It was your story dad that converted her!! Good job!!
P.S. You should write all your story and send it to me.

(Loni)
Dear Juan!!!! Aka Best Bud

What’s going on? Is today Vday? I have all my days mixed up because I am doing work down here in Mexico. This week, I think, has been the best week yet in Mexico! Oh my gosh I have seen many, many miracles and have tons of stories just from this week.
First thanks for my calendar!! I love the crap out of it!! It’s perfect for my desk. I actually sent you an email last week about your pictures and lots of sentimental stuff in it but you didn’t get it so I guess there is a reason for that. Sorry bud but it was way good!
So I am giving everyone a story this week and you can all read your story for family home evening.
(3) Okay, so this week I went to Villahermosa to do some paper work to become a real Mexican. On the way back from the bus station I was with my companion in a taxi. We were talking and then I realized there was a lady in the front seat. I spoke to them and said, “hola como estmaos, caul es su nombres… many things in Spanish and then the guy turned to the lady and translated it into English. I was like what????? Come to find out they lived in Atlanta Georgia and just moved here. His wife didn’t even know any Spanish at all!!! So I was like oh me too!!! To make her feel better…we talked and I started talking to her in English…the thing was - I couldn’t speak English!!!!!!!!! For real Loni!! I was trying to think of the words and couldn’t do it. It was so bad! I said like every other word in Spanish and was talking really slow!!! Oh, it was really bad!! I told her that we need to chat and asked if I could visit with them and they said Yes!! I think baptism baby!!!
So that’s one story. It is really funny but scary to know that I don’t know English or Spanish now!!! Haha pray for me for real!!!!
Well, thanks for the letters, photos, and the package. I love them so much you have no idea! Seriously!
I hope that everything is good over there. That’s crazy that Senior night is already here. It seems like yesterday, no? Oh dang ,well wish them all good luck for me. Tell Hadley I miss him and I want the best for him.
I hope everything is good with you and I love you tons. Can’t wait to get your package and I think I will get it next month so we will see. Varmus a ver no?
I will write your class a letter if you want just let me know what it is about.

Saturday, March 5, 2011

I have lots of stories to tell this week so I will just say I love you all tons and I hope you like the stories.
First of all I finally received your Christmas package and 10 cards this week. I didn’t receive Loni’s calendar but I got a lot of stuff that I need to read. Thanks for everything! I have already taught the Mexicans how to play table tennis, haha. It’s great!! I could use a cd player and a cd holder, porfavor.
I bought like 30 eggs thinking I as going to cook them up with this frying pan that was like 10 pesos, haha, and it didn’t go so well!! It was a mess! The whole house smelled like burnt eggs and it was bad!! I threw them outside for the dogs and now I have 28 eggs that I don’t know what to do with! Haha
You know that I am a Mexican when it’s 70 degrees here with a little wind and I am freezing my butt off for real!! I had to buy a sweatshirt that was like $58.00I! Haha los siento puro gracies por la debaro,
I had two baptisms this week, Jenny and Roberto, I have four so far in my mission. It is easy to get people to accept baptism but to get them to actually do it is much harder.
I don’t know if I told you about when the iguana ran through my lunch while we were eating one day. If not let me know and I will tell you next week.
So my story of how the Lord works and missionaries are not the only ones doing the work here:
My companion and I were at this house waiting for a mother.
We had an appointment with her. She wasn’t home and so my comp and I were standing outside her house. It was night and there was no one in the streets, really. We said that we would wait for 5 more minutes and go if she didn’t show up. The last minute a lady walked by, it was her daughter and she asked who we were and then walked off down the road. We said that we would wait for 5 minutes. The last minute she walked up again and said come wait at my house for my mom. The mother has a son on a mission but the rest of the family are non members.
We walked to the house and it was quite a long walk. They had stairs that were like straight up and down. We walked up and turned right into a room. The room was filled with like 6 people. We sat down and introduced ourselves, had a coke and talked for a little bit. The whole time my comp and I were like what is going on because this never happens! People don’t just invite you into their homes and say baptize me!!! Haha So we started to teach. We taught the 6 people in the house. During the part about Joseph Smith, which I gave, the spirit filled the room like a gas. Once you inhaled it they were like silent and observant. I know that this night the Lord needed the spirit to testify to the truthfulness of the gospel for a specific reason. I don’t know why but it wasn’t us but God and the spirit!!! We now have three great new investigators who I am believe will get baptized in the near future.
Today, Monday, I taught all the Mexicans how to actually play football! It was so much fun! It was Elder Plummer and I who taught them and we were the quarterbacks for the teams. It was probably the most fun I have had since I have been in Mexico with sports. Haha We play a lot of soccer so this was nice. Our team won like 48 to 7 but the kids and men loved it. My shirt was torn to shreds by the end of the game!! Haha It was great to play some football!!